Machine for attaching pickets to fence-wires.



No. 639,521. Patented Dec. l9, I899.

- J. B. CARPENTER.

MAGHINEFUR ATTACHING PICKETS-TO FENCE WIRES.

(Application filed Jan. 21, 1899.)

(No Model.)

Lil

JEROME B. CARPENTER, OF LIVONIA STATION, NEW YORK.

MACHINE FOR ATTACHING PICKETS TO FENCE-WIRES.

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent No. 639,521, dated December 19, 1899.

Application filed January 21,1899- Serial No. 702,956. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JEROME B. CARPENTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Livonia Station, in the county of Livingston and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wire- Fcnce Pickets and Fasteners Therefor; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to means for attaching pickets to fence-wires in the construction of wire fences, and aims to provide a machine of the class which will deflect the runnerwire and at the same time press the picket close against said wire, the two forces acting in opposition and serving to facilitate the work of applying the lock to the picket and wire, the machine being simple, effective, and easy of application and manipulation.

lVith this and other minor objects in view the invention consists of the features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forminga part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is arear View of a metallic picket embodying my invention, showing the same secured to fence-wires by means of the improved fastener. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the picket and parts, on an enlarged scale, showing the manner in whichit is held by the fastener. Fig. 3 is a side view of the same. Fig. 4c is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the mode of applying the fastener. Fig. 5 is a rearperspective view of the picket. Fig. 6 is a detail view of the fastener.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, wherein like letters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, A represents the horizontal fence-wires, and B the picket, which is constructed of sheet metal, the sides of which are longitudinally bent backward laterally from the central line of the picket at an oblique angle to each other, forming a substantially V-shaped picket presenting the central longitudinal fold or front edge 0 and the rearwardly-extending sides d. These sides are of equal width, and their edges d are straight throughout their entire length to bind by frictional contact against the wires, and thus hold the picket or the wires from sliding movement on each other.

The fastener for securing the picket consists of a V-shaped piece of stilt wire, the arms of which project outwardly from each other at a greater angle than the sides of the picket and are so proportioned with respect thereto that when'the fastener is applied the said arms will stand out from the rear edges of the sides of the picket and draw the wire outwardly to form angular bends, as hereinafter described, which hold the picket against longitudinal displacement. The ends of the arms of the fastener are provided with downturned hooks f to engage the wires.

In applying the fastener I employ a tool by which the picket and fastener are held in position while the wire is drawn outwardly to engage the latter. This tool comprises in its construction a U-shaped frame G, provided at the front ends of its side arms with hooks g to engage the fence-wire on opposite sides of the picket which is to be secured. Slidably mounted on these arms is a cross-bar or jaw H, notched in its front edge to form a V- shaped socket'or recess to receive the correspondingly-shaped body portion of the fastener. To rivets or pins h, projecting through this jaw, are pivoted the front ends of links 1' and 11. These links are arranged on opposite sides of the center of the sliding jawand project rearwardly therefrom, and their front ends are adapted to turn freely on the pins. Pivoted near their ends to the curved central portion or rear end of the jaw by a pivot-pin or bolt are curved or bowed handles K and K. The front ends Z and Z of these handles cross each other at the pivot and extend above and below the frame and are respectively pivotally connected to therear ends of the linksi and t". By this construction it will be seen that when the handles are opened their front ends will be moved out wardly and rearwardly in reverse directions, thus decreasing the distance between the extremities thereof and the rear of the frame and drawing on the links to slide the jaw G rearwardly. Then the handles are closed,

however, theirfront ends are moved inwardly l or longitudinally on the wire. The picket toward each other and straightened out,thereby increasing the distance between the extremities thereof and the rear of the frame and causing said ends to slide the jaw outward through the medium of the connectinglinks. hen the handles areoperated, the links t-urn freely on their pivots to accommodate for the right-angular movements of the front ends of the handles.

In securing a picket the picket is first placed in position with the edges of its angular sides bearing against the outer sides of the wires. The hooks g on the frame of the tool are then engaged with the fence-wire on opposite sides of the picket the body portion of the fastener fitted in the recess or socket of the sliding jaw, so that its hooks f will 'face the wire, and the handles of the tool then around the sides of the picket into position,

so that the hooks fon the fastener can be conveniently engaged therewith to hold the picket secured thereto. hen the parts are thus connected, it will be seen that the side arms of the fastener are longer than the distance axially or medially between the front edge of the picket, and a line connecting the rear edges thereof or between the central fold of the picket and the wire will extend out from the sides of the picket and hold the wire secured forwardly of the rear edges of the picket, so as to cause the formation of angular bends bin the wire which act as shoulders to prevent the picket from moving sidewise will also have three points of bearing on the fastener and wire, and this, in connection with the angular bearing point of the fastener and angular bends in the wire, will prevent any tendency of the picket to twist or turn and become loosened or exert a wearing action on the wires, as owing to the peculiar arrangement of parts the fastener cannot move therewith underany circumstances vhile permitting slight inward vibratory movement of the oblique sides of the picket under the action of the wind without drawing on the fasten'er.

The advantages of my invention reside, first, -in the simplicity, economy, strength, and durability of the picket; second, in the fact that the pickets can be laid within each other to occupy small space in shipment and mutually protect each other against casual injury; third, in the simplicity and effectiveness of the fastener, and, fourth, in the ease and rapidity with which the pickets can be applied to the fence-wires by means of a simple tool such as herein described.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is In a machine for attaching pickets to fencewires an approximately U -shaped frame having terminal hooks, a jaw slidably mounted upon thearms of the frame, handles pivoted to opposite sides of the frame to operate in planes parallel therewith, and links connecting the ends of the handles with the end portions of the jaw, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JEROME B. CARPENTER. [it sl Vitnesses:

WM. F. FRANCIS, ALVIN D. CLARK. 

